Veteran Republican US senator Lindsey Graham has died at the age of 71 following what his office described as a brief and sudden illness.
Graham died on the evening of Saturday, July 11, local time. His office did not disclose the nature of the illness or provide further information about the circumstances surrounding his death. His family thanked the public for its prayers and requested privacy during what it described as an extremely difficult period.
Representing South Carolina, Graham had been one of the most recognisable Republican figures in Washington and an influential voice on defence, foreign affairs, the judiciary and federal spending.
He was elected to the US Senate in 2002 after previously representing South Carolina’s third congressional district in the House of Representatives. His congressional career began with his election to the House in 1994.
Graham was known as a strong supporter of an assertive US foreign policy. He consistently advocated for increased defence spending and tougher measures against countries including Iran and Russia, while supporting continued American assistance for Israel and Ukraine.
Only a day before his death was announced, Graham had been in Ukraine, where he met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and promoted legislation designed to impose stronger sanctions on countries purchasing Russian energy.
During the 2016 Republican presidential campaign, Graham emerged as an outspoken critic of Donald Trump and briefly sought the party’s presidential nomination himself. He later transformed into one of Trump’s closest and most dependable allies in Congress, frequently supporting the president’s policies and advising him on international security issues.
Despite his conservative foreign-policy record, Graham also participated in several bipartisan initiatives during his long career. He worked with Democrats on immigration reform and became associated with the bipartisan group of senators informally known as the “Three Amigos”, alongside John McCain and Joe Lieberman.
Graham held several powerful Senate positions. He chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee during the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett and later led the Senate Budget Committee. He also served on the appropriations, judiciary and environment and public works committees.
Before entering national politics, Graham worked as a lawyer and served in the US Air Force’s legal corps. His military and legal background helped shape his long-standing focus on national security, terrorism and America’s international alliances.
Graham was unmarried and lived in Seneca, South Carolina. His death leaves a major vacancy in the Republican Senate ranks and removes one of Washington’s most prominent advocates of interventionist American foreign policy. Funeral arrangements had not been announced.
